Spy High Read Online Free PDF

once.
    As though animated by the mellow
reverberation, the recumbent bodies stirred and sat up, looking
expectantly toward the dais. I sighed and did the same. I knew what
was coming.
    “The Earth Spirit has spoken! Come;
follow.” Aurora’s voice ravaged my eardrums like a jackhammer after
the peace of the meditation.
    Everyone rose and split into two
groups, one behind Aurora, the other behind Zen. Two other leaders
whose names I had forgotten brought up the rear, apparently to
corral any stragglers.
    Cold rain pelted down as we filed out
of the building, and I hitched my jacket collar up and muttered to
Orion beside me, “Remember, this was your idea.”
    “Silence! We must honour the Earth
Spirit with our silence.”
    Aurora had caught me. She gave me a
severe look and I ducked my head, hoping I looked contrite and
holding back the urge to reply, “I’ll shut up if you will.”
    Instead, I bit my tongue and joined the
rest of the mute group to plod off into the wet forest single-file
behind Aurora. With superhuman restraint, I managed not to grouse
about the stupidity of tramping the winding forest trails instead
taking the direct route along the gravelled road. After about
fifteen minutes of hiking, our dripping crew filed into a large
open field, meeting Zen’s band as they arrived from the opposite
side.
    Like well-drilled soldiers, we split
into groups under our four leaders and moved to the cardinal points
of the field where we knelt in the sodden grass, still silent.
    The icy wetness made my knees ache and
the rain trickled in cold rivulets down the back of my neck. A raw
breeze moaned through the trees behind me, cutting effortlessly
through my soggy jeans. In front of me a bald man with a bushy
beard shivered uncontrollably, and I blessed my long thick hair. It
was soaking wet, but at least it provided a bit of insulation.
    After what seemed like forever, Aurora
and Zen must have received some sign from their beloved Earth
Spirit. They released us with a joyous cry of, “The blessings of
the Earth Spirit are upon you!”
    The supplicants replied with an equally
enthusiastic, “And upon you, too!” as they scrambled to their feet,
though I could have sworn the bald man had actually said, “And fuck
you, too.”
    Or maybe that was just me.
    Shivering, I hurried for the road and
made a beeline for the main building, jostling past the smiling and
chattering commune members who seemed impervious to the
bone-chilling rain.
    Orion found me half an hour later at
one of the big woodstoves in the communal kitchen, where I was
reheating a pot of soup and huddling as close to the stove as I
could get without actually branding myself for life.
    His hair hung in dripping ringlets
against cheeks ruddy with cold, and his green eyes sparkled with
amusement at the sight of me.
    “Are you just a bit chilly, then?” he
inquired, grinning.
    “Shut up.” I licked the hot soup off
the spoon before clasping it between my icy hands. Its warmth
dissipated almost instantly, and I sighed and resumed stirring.
    He touched the towel I’d wrapped
turban-style around my head. “I like it. You look exotic.”
    “I look like I’m in the final stages of
hypothermia. Which, by an amazing coincidence, I am.” I scowled and
licked the spoon again before lovingly embracing its tiny heat.
    He moved a little closer, his eyes
darkening. “You’d warm up a lot faster if you did that to me
instead of to the spoon.”
    I hid my sudden breathlessness in a
snort. “If I put these cold hands on you, you’d have indoor
plumbing for the rest of your life.”
    “It’s a chance I’m willing to
take.”
    Those green eyes. Dammit.
    His eyes crinkled at the corners, dark
lashes lowering over heat. “I’m up for shower rotation today. My
slot is in an hour. You could share it with me.” A slow blink, his
eyes hooded with desire. “Nothing like a steamy-hot shower to warm
you up.”
    Speaking of steam…
    A curl of vapour drifted past my